Joseph and Eva were my mother’s paternal grandparents, my great-grandparents. They were both born in Prussia in the mid-1800s–Joseph in February, 1855 and Eva in December, 1857.

Joseph’s parents were Joseph Plenzler and Mary Lesiecka.

I have found reference to Eva’s father as John Dauer on Eva’s death certificate. However, research into baptismal records for some of Eva’s and Joseph’s children have indicated her father was named Andreas. I am investigating this and have found a marriage abstract for Andreas/Andrzej Dauer and Marianna Aumiller in the Catholic parish in Głuszyna dated 1856. Eva and Joseph were also married in the Catholic parish in Głuszyna.

Per the 1900 census, Joseph arrived in 1883, Eva arrived in 1884. Joseph departed their residence in Wioreck, Preußen (Germany) on April 13, 1883 via the ship Gainsborough from Hamburg, arriving in Liverpool and then in the US. (Record 4 in the manifest.)

Eva arrived on the ship, Moravia, in the port of New York on May 6, 1884. She departed from Hamburg with her two eldest sons: Marczin (Martin) and Josef (Joseph). Martin was 3 at the time of arrival, his younger brother was just 6 months. (Lines 11, 12, and 13 in the manifest.)

By the time of the 1900 census, Joe Sr. was a naturalized citizen and a home plasterer. Eva and Joseph resided at 1541 Avondale Avenue, near Detroit Street. By this time, they had 10 children, nine of whom survived:

Pretty amazing that Eva and Joe had nine children survive out of 10, given that cholera, “consumption” (tuberculosis), typhoid, and pneumonia were often fatal to children in the late 1800s and were fairly common in Toledo at that time.